Eto’o breaks duck as Blues sink Cardiff

 

Chelsea 4 Cardiff City 1

Eden Hazard scored twice and Samuel Eto’o got his first Premier League goal as Chelsea came from behind to move second in the table.

The Blues had fallen behind early on when David Luiz decided against cutting out Ramires’s short back pass and Jordon Mutch pounced.

But another howler brought Chelsea level before the break, with Eto’o pinching the ball off Cardiff goalkeeper David Marshall and Hazard slamming home the loose ball.

Eto’o fired Chelsea in front midway through the second half before Oscar and Hazard both scored in the final 12 minutes to wrap up the win.

Although Chelsea deserved the victory for their persistance, the margin of victory was harsh on a hard-working Cardiff side.

They took the lead on 10 minutes when Luiz inexplicably turned his back on Ramires’s attempted pass to Petr Cech, and Mutch got there ahead of the goalkeeper to score.

John Terry then came close to levelling with a header that shaved the outside of the far post.

At the other end, Cech – on his 300th Premier League appearance – made a stunning save to claw away Peter Odemwingie’s header.

That proved to be a crucial save as Chelsea, below par in the first half, eventually found an equaliser – albeit in bizarre circumstances.

Marshall bounced the ball inside his area but didn’t spot Eto’o, who took the ball off him and eventually squared for Hazard to score.

Blues boss Jose Mourinho, evidently unhappy with his side’s attacking play in the first hour, made attacking changes by withdrawing Juan Mata and Ryan Bertrand for Oscar and Fernando Torres.

It paid off almost immediately, with Hazard slipping Eto’o in and the Cameroon striker jinking inside a challenge before drilling home.

Mourinho had to watch the last 20 minutes from the stand after an altercation with referee Anthony Taylor – but he’d have been impressed by the way his side finished off the tiring visitors.

After Cech had got a touch to impressive Cardiff subtitute Kim Bo-Kyung’s angled drive, Chelsea extended their lead thanks to Oscar’s dipping effort from 20 yards.

The outstanding Hazard added a gloss to the scoreline late on when his low drive crept through Marshall.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech; Ivanovic, Terry, Luiz, Bertrand (Torres 64); Ramires, Lampard; Willian, Mata (Oscar 59), Hazard; Eto’o (Azpilicueta 69).
Subs not used: Schwarzer, Cahill, Essien, De Bruyne.

 

 

 

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